Roddy's mutterings

[roddy]

More to let you know that I'm still here than anything else. Absolutely no progress on my railway. I could easily blame this damned weather. I could say that cash is short, as not only did I put the car back on the road after 5 months, but last week I had a large Vet's bill for a small dog. Truth is that 6 months after being a guest of the NHS, I'm just not up to any sort of effort. I'm just about on my knees after spending an hour yesterday evening making chocolate bees for a honey cake that my wife was planning. She seems to forget that it has been too many years since I did much cake decorating, or that the old arthritic hands don't have the flexibility that they once had. "Oh, it wont take you long will it? Pleeeeeaassse" You know the sort of thing. She might be foreign, but they are all the same. I think it's a genetic fault with them. Anyway, dark chocolate for the bees, white chocolate for the stripes, and flaked almonds for the wings, and they look OK. "See, I told you it wouldn't take you long didn't I" Harumph. The standing just about stuffed my guts. I sometimes wonder if the surgeon tied knots in them when he was having his sort out. I shall get my own back tough. Ebay is too tempting. I'm still planning and plotting the layout from the comfort of the armchair. I know what I want to do, but it really does need far too much space, so the next stage of thought is taking root. I still keep coming back to the original one though, and I might get somewhere close yet.

I live in the North East, and this City had a huge rail network. Mostly coal traffic to the staithes on the Wear, but an awfull lot of other stuff as well serving the shipyards, heavy engineering, and glass works. It's almost all gone now with an empty riverbank, the staithes is now a park, Wearmouth Colliery is now the Stadium of Light, houses are going up where Pyrex (the last glassworks) was, and footpaths are along much of the old railway. I would love to get a fair representation of the Doxford shipyard and it's own railway, linking to the old Lambton line that Lord Lambton built to bring his coal from the Durham fields to the staithes. I think I would need the three gardens next to mine as well and therin lies the problem of condensing it. Mmmmmmm. Time to put the kettle on again.

[mick]

Chin up Roddy. This past year hasn't been a good one for outdoor railways so you've missed nothing and it's always better to put your health first so hopefully you'll be feeling much better once the glorious summer arrives.

I'd suggest keeping things simple and easily manageable to begin with. Outdoors it's always far too easy to get carried away with the space available but construction can be very hard work at times. Memories of the north-east railways are sure to give you lots of inspiration for a layout. Likewise here in Yorkshire the various industries gave rise to an assortment of goods being transported on the railways but I only have experience of the more modern railway scene and the more typical block loads. My interest in steam days came simply from looking at the various monochrome photographs found in books and magazines and I was always drawn to trains hauling loads of coal. Another important consideration when planning the size of your proposed layout would be the amount of stock required to operate it. If you opt for a faithful representation of the scene then you're going to want an extremely large number of wagons and loco's whereas if you're content with just running certain typical trains then it's not quite such a strain on your wallet.

[roddy]

You're not wrong Mick, and I was mindful of that. A representation rather than a faithful representation is what I'm after. God almighty, to be faithful, I would need the loco exhibition hall at the NRM. Double track loop to show the Lambton Railway, with a representation of the shipyard railway would be enough for me. Yes, I suppose I am getting peed off not doing much, but it is really galling to realise after a lifetimes graft that I'm not physically capable of the lightest thing at the moment. I know the docs all said it would take a long time to recover, but I feel no better now physically, than a couple of weeks after coming home, and there are things that I need to be doing. At least I have plenty of planning ttime, and if the planning isn't up to scratch, then the result will never be even half satisfactory.

Really wanted to just keep you all in the loop and not just put me down as a wannabee who, after a couple of posts, is never seen again.

[traingeekboy]

The main thing is to have a railway. After years of eyeing models in magazines, I got this idea that my railway was never quite good enough. I wasted too much time dreaming of the perfect railway. My current railway is far from perfect, but it runs, and it's ready and waiting for those times I want to run some trains. I can't ask for much more than that.

Occasionally I get this delusion that I am going to build the dream railway, but I know how much time and effort that takes, and I have so many things I need to work on these days.

There are some layouts on this site that inspire me to want to tear down what I have and start over with something more. I recall having done that on many layouts in the past and then not having any layout at all.

As I said before, the main thing is to have a railway. Or perhaps to have a friend with a railway where you can run your stock.

[mick]

traingeekboy said:

The main thing is to have a railway...

Excellent advice - should be the top of everyone's list. The reason many of us never get anything finished is because we never actually get started. If you don't have a suitably accommodating friend as Griff suggests then it's important that you have somewhere of your own to run your trains. A garden railway really is about running trains with much less emphasis on shunting etc than an indoor type layout. You really only need a circle or two of track to begin with.

[george356]

Lol, once the weather improves I suspect that 'I' will be that suitable friend. I know Rod personally from our shared interest in sports cars and he is more than welcome to run whatever he wants on Cherry Parkway (as he already knows )

[mick]

george356 said:

Lol, once the weather improves I suspect that 'I' will be that suitable friend...

Excellent news - for the pair of you. I would imagine having someone close by who shares your interest makes it all the more enjoyable. Just wait for those balmy summer evenings and friendly get-together's!

[roddy]

Just noticed George's comments. Hahaha, I suspect that we would have run out of time to run anything after comparing notes on our respective cars. This weekend sees the clocks go forward and the lighter evenings. That always makes us feel better doesn't it.

Postman brought me some additional stock this morning. 22 assorted goods wagons from the usual auction site and all for the massive price of £12.50. That's my kind of shopping. A couple of them need a little attention that a spot of glue will rectify. They are all dirty, so need a scrubbing. Some have had three link couplings fitted, which are so short that the buffers almost touch. It's doubtfull that they would travel round any sort of bend. But hey, that's all part of the fun. For me it is anyway. I need something to keep the old fingers moving. Since Christmas, I have amassed total stock of 5 locos (all steam era), 42 wagons, and a couple of clerestory coaches. I also have a couple of H&M controllers. All I'm needing now is a track bed and the track. The birthday fairy will sort the track in June for me.

I like short trains. Two of my locos are 2-6-0 tender jobs and will run three or four coach passenger services. The other three locos are tanks for mixed goods rakes. One of the tanks is an 0-4-0 in BR livery and will be repainted as a private shunter. I still intend representing my shipbuilding yard which will have some acute curves.

So from a standing start (in a lying down hospital bed position) I have the basis and reason for my layout. The sun is shining today. The birds are singing. The local Council have had a rocket for not collecting the rubbish yesterday. The dog is behaving herself. The stepdaughter's new budgie has started talking (in Russian). Postie has been good to me. All is well in Roddy's world. I had better get the surveying team out into the garden.

[traingeekboy]

I;m with you on the used stock. It's fun ti tinker with it. And there is no worry of breaking a priceless item when playing choo choo.

We will be needing photos of all this new stock at some point.

[roddy]

I have had a look round the garden this afternoon. It's so small that I'm hardly spoilt for choice in any route decisions. It has got to run along one side fence, swinging round behind the bamboo to run part way across the garden in front of the Sweet Peas. The far end can turn a little way into the garden. Then you may think it gets awkward, but I'm not bothered. I shall have to put a short removable piece in at both of these positions. The other side of the garden has no chance of planning permission so suits my desire to have a portable layout that I can still enjoy inside. So this section will be on portable baseboards that will have my station area and shipyard. The rest will be double track.

I intend to use 6"x2" timber from a demolition yard just down the road from me. A 12ft length will cost me less than a length of garden decking. Where they meet, I shall cut a tongue in the end of one, and a matching slot in the mating end. Two lengths of threaded rod will hold them securely and without movement. They will be supported on short lengths of the same timber set into the ground and screwed well together. The rest will be normal indoor baseboard techniques. This should give me a scale running length of about 3/4 mile or so.

As said, I like short trains, so I shall run a passenger service in both directions, and will have the fun of mucking about in the yard as well. The yard will be bringing in materials, and sending out empties, and these can be slotted into the passenger timetables. That's my idea, and where I am today. It's my railway (as I keep hearing) and it's what suits me, and it seems that that is what the game is all about. Although my stuff is LNER, I may consider at a later date buying a diesel loco (Class 4 ?) and forming a mail train, complete with Bridego Bridge. Well, this year is the 50th anniversary of the Great Train Robbery isn't it?

Surveyors photos, and stock photos to follow, but there is nothing exciting there.

[mick]

Isn't planning the layout exciting! I remember when I used to sit for days on end drawing trackplans on scraps of paper before filing them away when I realised it just wasn't going to be. I'd come across them again months or even years later. In the end, when I did eventually mange to get my first layout, I just went out and built it with little or no prior planning at all. I just made things up as I went along much the same as I'm doing this time. That's entirely true. I know where I am at the moment but not exactly sure where I'm going to but I know it will all come good in the end. You'll be fine too Roddy.

And as Griff says, photos of any stock are always welcome here!

[roddy]

It is about forever since I showed my face here I'm afraid. The improvement in the weather has seen me catching up in the garden, but my rate of progress has been painfully slow. I have not been feeling too good for the last couple of days, so have spent most of the time sitting on the bench in the garden. Tea in one hand, cigarette in the other trying to visualise where I can go with the railway. I even got my stock out the other night and sorted through it (there's not a lot) and split it into ready to run and needs some work boxes.

Upshot of the surveying is that I can use a brick built outhouse for storage sidings. If I knock a brick or two out of the end wall, there will be 8ft inside usable space. A double line can run another 22 ft down the fence before a 80 degree bend. I shall need the next 3ft to be removable as it crosses an opening into a pergola area. This can be built as a nice bridge. Another 8ft or so before a 70 degree bend behind a water feature and follow more than 20 ft down the fence, through the stems of honeysuckle and climbing roses to the greenhouse. From the greenhouse I can cut back to the water butt where the lines emerge from the shed (another 20ft). All will be about waist height and will have to be done in three or four phases. I am pretty sure now that I can make the railway fit the garden rather than making the garden fit the railway. I will have to do some pruning now and then to keep any wayward growth from the track, but I think that the trains disappearing into and behind the shrubbery before reappearing can only add a bit of interest.

I have said before that I like short trains, so at a maximum of 4ft length, nothing should look too silly on the curves. I'm needing about four more coaches to have two passenger trains. Got enough wagons (40) and five locos. So the stock is OK for starters. A bit of penny watching now, and get the boards and some track, and let's hope it turns into a long Summer so that I finally get started.

Good luck to you all.

[traingeekboy]

Good to see you back at it. There's nothing wrong with having a small collection. Once again mine is growing and I'm not sure if it's helping me. You mentioned the needs work box. My needs work box has gotten too large due to the expanded fleet. So even there it's an advantage to have a small collection.

Oh, and give George a kick in the pants so he gets more pictures up for us.

[roddy]

traingeekboy said:

Good to see you back at it. There's nothing wrong with having a small collection. Once again mine is growing and I'm not sure if it's helping me. You mentioned the needs work box. My needs work box has gotten too large due to the expanded fleet. So even there it's an advantage to have a small collection.

Oh, and give George a kick in the pants so he gets more pictures up for us.

I don't think he has been doing much lately either. We had a club run out in the cars a fortnight ago. Had a lovely run around the Yorkshire Dales in the sunshine. I'm going over one day soon so we can run a train or two. I'll prompt him about the pictures.

[roddy]

Earlier this year when I was considering the form of my railway, I mentioned wanting perhaps a shipyard. This was inspired by my close proximity to the old Lambton railway which served between the coalfields and the staithes at Sunderland. Less than a mile from my house is the remains of the Doxford shipyard. Part of this is still operating for repairs and the yard is still the largest undercover shipbuilding shed in Europe. I have seen many photographs of the small crane/tank locos in the yard, but this morning I came across video of the same. This is number 4 of 7 videos which are on Youtube under the title "Steam Nostalgia". I hope that you find it interesting. I may still incorporate an impression of the yard in my railway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_bxkbzkz58

[traingeekboy]

I watched the video and was throughly entertained. Will have to go watch the others shortly. Thanks for the link.

[roddy]

Shopping last Thursday and Friday as I can't carry it all in one go. Made a cake on Saturday, decorated it yesterday, and it will be mince pies and sausage rolls to do tomorrow before cooking the dinner on Wednesday. That's always the routine here, and I don't mind the effort.

It's time to wish you all a very happy Christmas, and good health and good fortune in the New Year.

All the best, Roddy.

[mick]

Good luck with the baking and cooking Roddy.

Have a great Xmas yourself and best wishes for the New Year.

[traingeekboy]

Merry christmas Roddy!

[roddy]

Here we go again. Another new year and nother new start. Best wishes to you all.

I can see that I shall have a little track maintenance to do when the weather settles. Nothing drastic, just a little realignment where my removable bridges are. I bought in my ignorance a couple of dozen Triang wagons a year ago, not realising that they wouldn't run efficiently over Peco points. I have bought 40 axle sets and 100 pinpoint bearings to re-wheel 20 of them. That will keep me busy after my hospital job which I hope will be sorted out in the next month or so. There is always some touch up painting on the old stuff too. Again, when I was gathering some rolling stock, I obtained a little 040 Hornby loco which due to it's short length will stall at slow speed on the points. Although well out of period, I'm looking at a rebuild of the body and the addition of a coach to form an impression of the GNR Ivatt railcar. This can take some extra pick ups in the coach and will make something a bit different. Just need to find a suitable coach to go under the knife. Any battered old thing from a kids toy set will do within reason.

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So that's about it for now apart from a possible tramway. This is something revisited from a lot of years ago, and I discovered last night that Chris is planning the same. If you haven't discovered automatic tram stops yet Chris, they are very simple and I can give the details if you need them.